Blue Label has achieved majority ownership of Cell C. Blue Label has finally achieved its almost decade-long goal of securing a majority stake in Cell C, South Africa’s fourth biggest mobile operator, reaching 53.57% ownership. Final approval from the Competition Tribunal concludes several regulatory hurdles for Blue Label – which is rebranding as Blu Label…
Blue Label Telecoms currently owns 49.5% of Cell C and is seeking final regulatory approval to buy an additional 4.04% stake. (Photograph by Lesley Moyo) Blue Label Telecoms has started making plans to exit Cell C through a separate JSE listing, in a complex restructuring that could result in both companies being debt-free. This morning,…
Cell C’s largest shareholder, Blue Label Telecoms, on Monday announced that an agreement has been reached on a major restructuring involving the mobile operator ahead of its likely (but still not confirmed) listing on the JSE in 2026. “The pre-listing restructuring encompasses various transactions aimed at optimising Cell C’s capital structure and balance sheet in…
Blue Label Telecoms views Cell C CEO Jorge Mendes as an “executor”. (Photograph by Nicola Mawson) JSE-listed Blue Label Telecoms, rebranding to Blu Label Unlimited to amplify the market’s focus on its units as it spins Cell C out via a JSE listing, has admitted it failed in its initial execution of its purchase of…
Cell C announced that it has achieved profitability for the financial year ending May 31, 2025, marking a significant turnaround in its financial performance. The news was revealed in the annual results released by its owner, Blue Label Telecoms. While the mobile operator reported a net profit after tax of R2.2 billion, it remains technically…
JSE-listed Blue Label Telecoms has taken a decisive step in its troubled, long-running association with Cell C, reversing a multibillion-rand impairment previously recognised against its stake in the mobile operator. The move reflects a marked improvement in Cell C’s equity valuation and signals Blue Label’s confidence in the mobile operator’s recovery trajectory. The move comes…
The Competition Tribunal has given the green light to a transaction that should help advance a proposed plan to list Cell C on the JSE. The regulator on Thursday said it has given its blessing, without conditions, to a transaction that will see Cell C buying back its contract customer base from its largest shareholder,…
Blue Label holds a non-controlling 49.5% stake in Cell C. (Photograph by Lesley Moyo) The Competition Tribunal has unconditionally approved the proposed merger in which Cell C will acquire Comm Equipment Company (CEC) from The Prepaid Company (TPC). This, after the Competition Commission last week recommended that the Competition Tribunal approve the deal without conditions….
Blue Label Telecoms is exploring a JSE debut for Cell C as part of a broader restructuring plan. (Photograph by Lesley Moyo) The proposed separate listing of Cell C, South Africa’s fourth-largest mobile operator, on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) could mark a pivotal moment for the debt-laden telco. It has potential to cut its…
Cell C’s Johannesburg headquarters. (Photograph by Lesley Moyo) Cell C’s precarious financial position came under the spotlight this morning, when the Competition Commission argued before the Competition Tribunal. At a hearing, the commission argued that the plan for Blue Label Telecoms to acquire control of the operator would effectively throw the country’s fourth-largest mobile network…
